Imagine what something like this would cost today.

Rating: 8/10 (7 February 2000)

Wow, John Wayne, Richard Burton, Eddie Albert, Sal Mineo, Paul Anka, George Segal, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Robert Mitchum, Robert Wagner, Roddy McDowall, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, et al all in one movie! Imagine what something like that would cost today. What a great scene with Red Buttons stuck on the church tower while his whole squad mistakenly parachutes into a heavily fortified town. The comparisons to "Saving Private Ryan" don't hold up for two reasons. One is the technical and societal ability to present gore for entertainment. Also, "SPR" is a leftist anti-war film, so emphasizing the gore and mayhem suited Spielberg's purpose, while in this film, while the death is not minimized, (see the scene mentioned above) the purpose is to celebrate heroism, as well as provide some history in an entertaining fashion.